Rock Island Tactical 1911 vs. Ruger SR1911

Rocks are a bargain. I have two of them, a Ruger, and a Colt. When I got my first Rock, I sold a Kimber. The RIAs are (or used to be) about half the price of the Ruger, for the Tactical model, which is the one to have,IMO.

I don't care for the plain mahogany grips on the RIA, but you can fix that at Brownells for about $8.00.

If money is a concern, as it is for most of us, then go with the RIA Tactical. Even if it isn't, the Rock Island is worth a good hard look.

As far as repair work goes, I sent one of the RIAs back for a rough trigger, something to do with a burr in the trigger bow channel or something, and it was repaired and returned within a few days. Nothing to complain about there.
 
I am going to the LGS tomorrow morning, which has an indoor firing range (primary reason why I'm going there). After I'm done shooting, I'm going to do a very thorough comparison of the two, hopefully without being annoying.:)
 
I bought the Officer's Model RIA back about 2006, along with a 1k round case of Remington 230 Grain Ball & a 500 round case of Remington 185 Grain HP. During the next 3 months I shot about half of each case as well as 400 or so of assorted 200 grain H&G 68 SWC reloads and WWII era Military Ball. Had no FTE issues, although during the 1st 200 or so rounds it would ocassionally have a slow feed episode with all ammo. Touching the rear of the slide would put it fully into battery. I called the Customer Service # and spoke with a very knowledgeable Gunsmith who immediately sent me a Wolfe Recoil Spring at no cost. The Factory Spec weight spring fixed the slow feed issue and the gun ran flawless. After 3 months I traded it away on a whim and have regretted it since. If I was to buy another 1911 it will most likely be a RIA Tactical in 9mm.
 
I can't speak to the RIA but I do have two Ruger 1911's. One is the full sized government model and the other a commander. Out of the two I'd have to say I like the commander better. I've shot over a thousand rounds through it without a hickup. My daughter came home for Christmas last year and wanted to try several different revolvers and pistols and out of all she tried, she liked the commander best also. That was despite my best efforts to sell her on a J frame 640. She liked the commander so well she bought one of her own a month or so ago.
 
I have 5 RIAs, they have cast frames and forged slides at last info. they are working on forged frame now. Very innovative company with emphasis on CS. They come in many different names, all made by Armscor, recent acquisition is labeled Taylor. I converted one to 400 CorBon which is pretty stout. I have been able to change all the parts with Millspeck stuff when needed or desired. I wouldn't hesitate to buy any of their stuff, hey its priced right.
 
After shooting today I took a looooonng look at the RIA and fortunately they had an FS tactical in stock. First of all I was surprised that this gun was a full $100 cheaper than the Ruger (price of the RIA was $550). Fit and finish on the particular FS model they had was very, very impressive. No rough edges on anything and the finish on the gun was very smooth, uniform and well done. I couldn't put the damned thing down, I was so surprised at the initial quality of the piece, for its price. The stainless Ruger SR1911 was of course gorgeous, but I kept going back to the RIA. The trigger on the RIA was very nice as well.

Ok so blah, blah, blah I went home, gathered up my slush fund, and went ahead and bought the RIA. The LGS lubed it up a little bit and I was able to go right into the range for 1/2 hour for free to give it its first 100 round test drive. What a gun---no hiccups or burps and everything functioned as it should have. The accuracy was very nice as well. I'm already planning my next range trip to shoot it some more.

Thanks again for everyone's input and responses! I am definitely a fan, so far, of Rock Island Armory and definitely recommend one for an entry level 1911.
 
Like putting price on peace of mind !

"You get what you pay for"
Buy the Ruger. Weapons are an investment not only dollar value but for you and your family's protection.

"Be aware and alert the light at the end of the tunnel might be a mussel flash."
 
I have had a handful of RIA's and all but one have been trouble free. That one went back to Nevada for adjustment in their shop and came back in about ten days with no hassle and had, in fact, received a bit of polishing and smoothing out in the process!
Overall, a great gun at an exceptionally reasonable price.
If you're willing to spend a bit more and want more refinement/features, I have found the ATI Thunderbolt with Bomar style adjustable sights, checkered front strap, extended slide stop and safety, ambi safety, rail and full beavertail to be an exceptional value for all of the great upgrades that are included.
 
C P Koma said:
"You get what you pay for"
Buy the Ruger. Weapons are an investment not only dollar value but for you and your family's protection.
Click to expand...

Sometimes you get more.

IMHO this applies to both the Ruger AND the 1911s that are being turned out by our friends in the Phillipines. Don't sell those guys & gals short. Just because labor doesn't cost a lot doesn't mean it's not good. ;)

FWIW I wound up paying just about exactly $800 OTD (Shipping, fees & taxes due to Kalifornistan's "not too unsafe" roster.:mad:) for my SR1911 after 2 years of searching and wasn't disappointed in the least.

As for home protection... right now a SIG P220 Carry is about 12 inches from my computer mouse... ;)
 
I'll go against the grain here, and vote for the Ruger. I've had mine for a while and it's been NOTHING but flawless. I have nothing against RIA other than I'm a "name brand" snobbist. on a budget :-)
 
Have been shooting a RIA 1911-A1 since 2007. Bought it used... $280 OTD. Shoots extremely well. Nice gunsmith customized it a bit. Excellent work. Only charged me shipping... $30 total. The other weekend I used it to place third in a local fund raiser match sponsored by the police department. Well worth the money spent on it. If I were today looking to buy a 1911 w/ adj. sights, etc., would most certainly give the RIA a very hard look. The Ruger is stainless steel which I consider a very good idea. The ones I've handled all show excellent fit/finish and are doubtless of good quality. The increased cost might be a consideration. I've never had so much money that I could buy guns w/o looking at the price tag. Sincerely. bruce.
 
wildenout said:
I'll go against the grain here, and vote for the Ruger. I've had mine for a while and it's been NOTHING but flawless. I have nothing against RIA other than I'm a "name brand" snobbist. on a budget :-)
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I, too am a name brand snobbist and was going to go Ruger all the way, until I saw the RIA was $100 cheaper, and most of the responses to this thread gave RIA positive marks. Another thing that influenced my decision was that this .45 was going to strictly be an entry-level 1911 range toy to get familiar with the caliber and the model---I've NEVER shot a 1911 or a .45 before. I am so far very happy with my decision. Seems like if anything goes wrong their CS would be decent to deal with.
 
rjm6120 said:
I, too am a name brand snobbist and was going to go Ruger all the way, until I saw the RIA was $100 cheaper, and most of the responses to this thread gave RIA positive marks. Another thing that influenced my decision was that this .45 was going to strictly be an entry-level 1911 range toy to get familiar with the caliber and the model---I've NEVER shot a 1911 or a .45 before. I am so far very happy with my decision. Seems like if anything goes wrong their CS would be decent to deal with.
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Congrats on your first 1911. I doubt it'll be your last. ;)

That oil they slather on in the PI is not lubricant, it's preservative. Might wanna give it a few shots of lube oil here & there before ya shoot it. ;)
 
Fishslayer said:
Congrats on your first 1911. I doubt it'll be your last. ;)

That oil they slather on in the PI is not lubricant, it's preservative. Might wanna give it a few shots of lube oil here & there before ya shoot it. ;)
Click to expand...

Actually a detail strip and soak in oderless mineral spirits is highly recommended. Added benefit is you will get to know your first 1911 B4 you shoot it. I did it with "0" experience with a 1911.
 
The one I bought was the only one they had on hand, in the display case, so fortunately all that stuff had been removed, and the gun was cleaned up pretty good. The gun shop's gunsmith on duty field stripped it to make sure, and lubed it in the necessary areas before I went into their range to shoot it. That was a nice li'l bonus.

Tomorrow I will be doing my maiden voyage field strip and clean. I am going to wait until after the next time I shoot it before I attempt to take out the firing pin and extractor to clean those two parts during the gun cleaning---I'm admittedly intimidated about taking those out.
 
I have 3 of the Rugers, two Government models and one CMD. I bought them because I think they are an excellent value for the money. Both of the 5 inch models have been 100% flawless with any ammo I've thrown at them and the CMD has proven reliable as long as the ammo is loaded a bit on the "warm" side.

Feed powder puff loads to the CMD and it will jam about 1 in 400 rounds. BTW, one load the the CMD seems to like a lot is a 185 grain Hornady XTP HP loaded to 1050 fps. With that load it is perfectly reliable, startlingly accurate and just a bit "snappy".

Pluses for the Ruger is the Detent Housing is cast as in integral part of the frame so no "rivets" to come loose over the years. In addition the package overall is quite good looking with an excellent balance of features that benefit a 1911 without being over optioned. I'll also state that the grip panels are quite good looking with checkering that I would rate as "just right". BTW, I don't see ANY need for a checkered front strap in the Rugers and actually prefer the smooth finish. Because if you are going to run 300-400 rounds downrange in one outing serrations on the front strap could very well leave you bleeding. Finally, because the Ruger is a Series 70 design there is no firing pin safety to complicate things and this means the Ruger is a VERY EASY 1911 to work on. I have all three of mine tuned for a 4.5 lbs. trigger and it was something that was actually quite simple to accomplish, especially since the CMD was shipped with a 4.5 lbs. trigger. Finally, the sights feature nice big white dots that are distinctly more visible than other brands of pistols. A big plus for my aging eyesight.

Negatives for the Ruger. First, the early serial SR1911's featured MIM front sights that had a tendency to crack during manufacture. As a result on some of the early versions the front sight blade would shoot off. Good news here is that Ruger has changed to a front sight machined from a solid billet. Second, the Ruger is not a hand fitted and lapped pistol, they are actually built as a Service Grade 1911 which means that they will rattle. However, even with that rattle they are capable of 2-3 inch groups at 25 yards in the right hands with good ammo and by some odd quirk my CMD seems to be a bit of a laser with 1.5 inch groups off a sandbag. One final negative is that the trigger serrations are sharp enough to leave you bleeding. I would suggest pulling the trigger to smooth it or plan on wearing gloves, because even with calloused hands that trigger will leave you bleeding.
 
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I have been ordering alot of the RIA's and AUTO-Ordanace .45 pistols for about 15 years now and,there are times when Can't keep them in stock.
 
rjm6120 said:
The one I bought was the only one they had on hand, in the display case, so fortunately all that stuff had been removed, and the gun was cleaned up pretty good. The gun shop's gunsmith on duty field stripped it to make sure, and lubed it in the necessary areas before I went into their range to shoot it. That was a nice li'l bonus.

Tomorrow I will be doing my maiden voyage field strip and clean. I am going to wait until after the next time I shoot it before I attempt to take out the firing pin and extractor to clean those two parts during the gun cleaning---I'm admittedly intimidated about taking those out.
Click to expand...


Just don't tell this to other RIA owners, or you are not 'in the initial cleaning club'. You got really lucky and I am glad you were able to get one that was already cleaned up.
 
Good looking Ria. Nice purchase. I just wanted to chime in with my 2 cents. I have a Ruger 1911 and is a nice fit and finish. After about 200 rounds the pistol would fail to feed. Found a rough feed ramp. Took about 10 min with some gun oil and 2000 grit. And no further issues. Could have sent it in to Ruger just didn't want to wait around on it.
 
Mule Packer said:
....... Made in the Philippines and probably put together by someone who wears B.F. Goodrich sandals and can't speak a word of English.

....
Click to expand...

That the assembly folks probably do not speak a word of English is something that they have in common with the folks at Hämmerli, H&K, SIG Sauer and so on, just replace the sandals with Lederhosen :).

My son has a RIA Tactical since a year and a half and is well pleased with it, it has become his favorite range gun and he has access to my safe and is free to take my guns to the range. The RIA Tactical is not as refined as my customs Colt but therefore costs about one fifth.

I consider it an outstanding value.

image.jpg9_zpslndexto4.jpg
 
By chance this week I got the opportunity to shoot a Ruger 1911, while I just happened to have my RIA compact along. Not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, but interesting just the same.

The Ruger is "purtier" in that the finish is just a bit more refined, but the RIA really didn't suffer all that much in comparison. Just different, not poorly-done. As beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I would call it even, really. The only ammo I had along was Tula steel-cased 230 gr. fmj, and both guns gobbled it up the way I gobble peanuts at a baseball game.

Interestingly, as has always been the case with every load tried thus far, my RIA exhibited excellent accuracy, while the Ruger was no slouch either; but even though I found the Ruger quite easy to shoot, my compact shot noticeably tighter groups. This may have just been a matter of my familiarity with the gun, but it is always interesting to me when I can outshoot myself with the "snubby" version of a gun against the full-size version.
 
I've heard many good things about Rocks, and you can't hardly beat them for the money.
My Ruger CMD is one of the nicest shooting and handling of any .45 I've ever owned. And the price is right.

Can't go wrong either way.
 
Pisgah said:
By chance this week I got the opportunity to shoot a Ruger 1911, while I just happened to have my RIA compact along. Not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, but interesting just the same.

The Ruger is "purtier" in that the finish is just a bit more refined, but the RIA really didn't suffer all that much in comparison. Just different, not poorly-done. As beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I would call it even, really. The only ammo I had along was Tula steel-cased 230 gr. fmj, and both guns gobbled it up the way I gobble peanuts at a baseball game.

Interestingly, as has always been the case with every load tried thus far, my RIA exhibited excellent accuracy, while the Ruger was no slouch either; but even though I found the Ruger quite easy to shoot, my compact shot noticeably tighter groups. This may have just been a matter of my familiarity with the gun, but it is always interesting to me when I can outshoot myself with the "snubby" version of a gun against the full-size version.
Click to expand...
That's an interesting comparison report, Pisgah---thanks. Before I bought the RIA, I had a chance to rent the Ruger at the range. It was the first time I had EVER shot a 1911, as well as a .45 ACP. Fell in love with the gun type and the caliber---found it to be on par with .40 recoil, but nowhere near as snappy (IMHO). The Ruger shot well with the 10 rounds I was given for the $5 test drive, and I was able to get the RIA to shoot just as well by the time I was into the 2nd box of ammo.
 
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